


Star Gazing

by Lakeylou



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-25 19:00:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4972645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakeylou/pseuds/Lakeylou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short continuation for season three episode 2. Lizzington</p>
            </blockquote>





	Star Gazing

**Author's Note:**

> The scene doesn't need anything added to it because it was beautiful... but i did anyway. I don't own The Blacklist or the characters

The sight could have been disappointing. Lizzie had already suffered through a murky, exhausting day, and miserable weather while on the water would have been disheartening. Red only hopes Lizzie doesn't suffer from sea sickness. She had turned up at the diner-much to Red's relief-agitated and shocked, believing Ressler had tried to kill her. No, she said. No, she's not alright. She did learn, however, that it was her who had put herself in the dangerous situation, and Ressler attempted to save her. The instance with the abusive boyfriend, Clayton, and Lizzie's unrecognizable actions towards him had frightened others, her, and Red will admit that it scared him a little too. Although, Clayton with the gun in his hand, would have been far more concerning-Lizzie must remember that. The past two days had taken a toll on her, and there's this constant ache deep in Red's chest, throbbing hard each time he witnesses her struggle. Each time she tries to wrap her head around everything her life has become. The aches been there for awhile Now. 

The weather was overcast when they departed the dock, and Lizzie had been quiet during the first few hours of their trip. Red suggested she have a lie down on the couch, but she disagreed, and the pecan pie sat untouched on her dessert plate.

However, despite all this, Red remained quietly optimistic as he poured them both a drink, opened himself up to her, and teared his eyes away from her watery, wobbly smile to open the sliding doors to his luxurious shipping container. 

What a sight that greeted them. 

Red knows star gazing is best done from the darkest of places; they needed to be away from the city lights and pollution. Here, out on the water, provided him and Lizzie the perfect opportunity; the cloud-cover from earlier had disappeared. Although there was a breeze, it was a clear night and visibility was at its best. The sight relaxed Red immediately; the salt filled his senses with every inhale, and if he stood still enough he could feel the sway of the ship beneath the soles of his polished shoes. This, mixed with the rich after taste of pecan pie, and Lizzie next to him safe and alive and miraculously, still holding herself together (if only by a thread), allowed Red to unwind from the day. He feels comfortable out here under the stars, at sea.

Lizzie may be with him, but he knows she is distressed, feeling like she's becoming someone she doesn't want to be. She spoke of the looks thrown her way; the judgments and fear in other's eyes. Red gets it, understands her and above all else, has experienced exactly what she's feeling. So, he wants to show her exactly what he sees when he looks at her. Perhaps, it won't do anything to help, but hopefully he can cheer her up, console her, if just for a moment. 

It feels right when he tells her; everything feels right. He doesn't look at her, finds it easier to observe the shine of the North Star instead. Back inside the shipping container he was unable to pin point in words exactly what she means to him, what he sees when he looks at her, but out here, it comes to him with just one glance. He points out the Polaris Star; the most prominent star against the vast black. 

That's what he sees, he tells her, exactly what he sees and feels when he looks at her.

His gaze drops away from the sky, just for a moment, to find that Lizzie is looking at him. Her expression, opened-mouthed and (he's hoping pleasantly) shocked. It reminds him so strongly of how he used to marvel at how stunning the world can really be on the worst of days. He knows it may have been a touch too strong of a comparison for her to grasp at this moment, believe even, but he isn’t entirely sure when they’ll see such a sight again and while in the company of each other and no one else. And surely, since the Polaris star is as luminous as he's ever seen, he has to tell her. He must show her, point it out, tell her that others may see something different when they look at her, but he sees only good and only home. 

Maybe it's possible there's a little fate in the fact that his favorite star is so clear-cut tonight.

Red wants her to take another look at the sky above them, and he’ll tell her some things he’s learned in the past about stars and astronomy and anything else that could be of interest to her. Because to Red, the sky above them is magnificent, full of intriguing things and sharing it with Lizzie is a wonderful thing. The breeze is picking up though, and Lizzie’s hair is dancing across her face, being a nuisance and getting in her eyes. Her arms are also bare. Red, in his long-sleeved shirt, hopes she’s not feeling the cold.

“Would you like me to find you a jacket?”

They don't have many options of clothes at the moment, but he's sure he could find her one of his warmer coats.

She's still staring up at him; the blue in her eyes is so light and warm compared to the dark blue of the night sea. She shakes her head slowly, side to side, blinks in quick succession as if she's been zoned out for a number of minutes-been somewhere else entirely- and then she closes her mouth. 

“You sure?” 

She doesn't reply, and she still seems so stunned by his confession, that Red decides he will ignore her first answer and go and search for a jacket. Maybe give her a moment to herself. But before he makes any sort of movement he catches her lips flutter upwards into the smallest of smiles. Unlike before, the smile stays in place, gets a little wider as he watches her lips. Red returns a soft smile subconsciously. He must get her to smile more often, nurture it, he thinks. It may prove difficult with their current situation, but it will be worth every effort each time he succeeds. 

“Thank you.” Lizzie says.

There’s an enormous weight to those two words. Thank you. The ache in his chest is firm and heavy. Red doesn’t want her gratitude, doesn’t need to hear her thank him ever, but he knows what she'll say if he doesn't accept it. So he nods his head just once, very quickly, and lifts the glass back to his lips to take a small sip of the liquid. She nods back, just once also, and Red is so delighted that Lizzie is still smiling he forgets that she thanked him at all. She brushes the hair from her face again, peers at him for a little longer, then finally tilts her head back to look up at the view. Red watches her, lets his eyes wander across the soft, pale skin of her cheek and allows the silence to lengthen between them because it’s so peaceful. 

Then, after a minute or two, he thinks about the cold again. The winds coming off the water and what started as refreshing, is now bitterly cold. The material of Lizzie's top is thin and the furthest thing from wind proof. It is late too, and Lizzie needs as much rest as she can get. He hates to think it, but they have a lot of work to do.

“Should we go back inside?" Then just because he feels the need for some light-hearted teasing after all his honesty tonight, he says, "you still haven't touched your pecan pie.”

“I think I’m going to stay out here for a little longer.” Lizzie replies, turns her head to glance at him briefly. "I don't think I've ever seen something so... " She pauses, flicks her gaze from his eyes to his lips to the glass held in her own hand. "I've never seen a view quite like this," she finishes, gesturing above them with her free hand.

Red nods in agreement. It's so pleasing she can still appreciate beauty during the darkest of times. Lizzie is stronger than she knows; she's doing so well, and he wants to tell her but refrains from doing so tonight. He won't disturb the calm that has washed over her in the last few minutes. Instead, he places his free hand in his pocket to fiddle with the material there. He's not sure whether Lizzie wants the silence and wants it alone, or if she enjoys his presence next to her. He stays quiet for a moment, doesn't move expect for his thumb tracing over the material inside his pocket. He hasn't taken a sip from his drink in awhile, so he does that and hears the liquid travel down his throat. 

“Shall I stay?” He asks, can't look at her when he says it.

“Yes.”

Red bobs his head, lets a breath escape through his lips. Lizzie's still looking up at the North Star he pointed out for her. He wonders what she's thinking when she looks at it. He would love to know. What does she see? Feel? He moves his gaze away from her dark lashes, trails his eyes back up towards the star.

“Tell me something else,” she says and it startles him, the softness in her tone. “About the North Star.”


End file.
